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President Trump announced Friday that he is designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing the widespread killings of Christians in the West African country.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it.”
The President emphasized that action must be taken when people are persecuted for their faith.
CRUZ CLASHES WITH NIGERIA OVER HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS KILLED SINCE 2009 IN RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
Trump said he has directed Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump said. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
Christian faithfuls hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. – The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria gathered faithfuls as well as other Christians and other people to pray for security and to denounce the barbaric killings of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria. (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
The situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshipers killed during Sunday services, and thousands displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country’s northern and central regions.
In June, militants attacked the village of a bishop, just days after he testified before Congress about Christian persecution, leaving more than twenty people dead. Similar assaults in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds this year alone, with survivors describing how gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they torched churches and homes.
According to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70% of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warns that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders are responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights organizations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.
Mark Walker, President Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria’s government to act.
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Pope Leo XIV condemned the killings of up to 200 people in Yelewata community in Nigeria. (Associated Press)
“Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually,” Walker said. “This has been going on for years — from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias — and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive.”
Walker, a former pastor and Republican congressman from North Carolina, said that although he has not yet been confirmed, he already works with church networks across Africa to help keep missionaries and local believers safe.
“This isn’t about appropriations or politics — this is about human life. We’re talking about boys and girls, about women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. All of us should raise our voices.”
He added that he plans to work closely with Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy once confirmed. “Fortunately, we have a Secretary of State who has been one of the stronger voices,” Walker said. “He’s already put out statements and is very in tune with what’s going on. I look forward to advising him when it comes to countries of particular concern.”
WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO SURGE IN CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CRISIS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
People gather on July 2, 2014, at the scene of a car bomb explosion, at the central market, in Maiduguri, Nigeria, the birthplace of terror group Boko Haram. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)
The White House has also acknowledged a surge in anti-Christian violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements are exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the U.S. State Department have condemned recent massacres in Nigeria, warning that the crisis risks spreading beyond the country’s borders.
Walker added “The United States should always stand up for freedom of religion, and that starts with speaking the truth about what’s happening.”
While humanitarian groups continue to raise alarms, Nigerian officials deny that Christians are being systematically targeted. Information Minister Mohammed Idris recently told Fox News Digital that claims of mass persecution are “very misleading,” rejecting U.S. reports that tens of thousands have been killed.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently told Fox News Digital that “since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred” and “over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed.” He called the violence “a crisis of religious genocide” and urged tougher U.S. action.
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Women and children who were held captive by islamic extremists, and rescued by the Nigerian army, are seen upon arrival in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, May 20, 2024. Hundreds of hostages mostly children whose mothers were held captive and forcefully married by Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from their key forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the West African nation’s army said late Monday. (AP Photo/Jossy Olatunji)
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the criticism, telling Nigeria’s Daily Post, “Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country.”
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Despite the political debate, the facts on the ground remain grim. Christian villages are still under attack, churches continue to burn, and millions live in fear. Western governments have issued statements but taken little tangible action to halt the killings or support survivors, said a priest from Plateau State and added, “When the world stays silent, the killers return.”
Fox News’ Paul Tilsley contributed to this report.